Information

Sponsors

Batteries

Batteries are compared in terms of the amount of charge/discharge cycle they can handle (life span), the current they can supply to a load, what persentage of their capacity can be supplied vs. life span and how quickly they can be recharged.
Car Batteries can supply large currents needed to start an engine and accept large charge current (i.e. can be charged quickly), but do not like to be discharged deeply else it's life is shortened. For this reason they are not well suited for alternate energy applications.
Deep Cycle Batteries on the other hand are more suited to deep discharging without damage, but will not supply as high currents needed for engine starting, nor will it be chargeable as quickly. However, the currents in an alternative energy system are supplied over much longer periods of time (usually hours vs seconds needed for starting). Therefore the currents involved are much less, making the deep discharge capability the dominant desirable factor.
High Cycle Batteries are somewhere in between car and deep cycle batteries. They will supply more current and can be recharged more quickly than deep cycle batteries all while withstanding deep discharging (up to 50% capacity). This makes them much better than car batteries in this regard.